Pacific Islands
Pacific partners launch Nature4Health scoping process
Across the Pacific, healthy reefs, forests and food systems are the foundation of community wellbeing, providing nutrition, clean water, livelihoods and cultural continuity. They also buffer the pressures that put health at risk when ecosystems are degraded.
On 31 August 2026, the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and the Pacific Community (SPC) convened a virtual launch and pre-workshop to open the Nature4Health (N4H) Pacific scoping process. Some 40 participants took part, including representatives of Pacific Island countries and territories, regional organisations, technical experts, development partners and stakeholders from across sectors.
Discussions underscored the interconnected health of people, animals, plants and ecosystems, and the value of upstream prevention: working across sectors to address the pressures on ecosystems that drive health risks, before diseases emerge or spill over.
"Our ambition is to reduce future health risks by investing in nature and resilience, and to shape a healthier future for people, animals and ecosystems across the Pacific," said Ms Dechen Tsering, Regional Director and Representative for Asia and the Pacific, UNEP.
Participants returned repeatedly to the question of how institutions work together.
"There is a need to work outside the silos we have developed over time," said Mr Sefanaia Nawadra, Director General of SPREP. "Initiatives like this bring us together around a common goal that benefits all of life."
Ms Karen Mapusua, Director of the Land Resources Division at SPC, echoed the point: "The success of this initiative will depend on our ability to work together across sectors and countries towards shared outcomes. It takes all of us."
The scoping process will build on Pacific knowledge, priorities, and existing initiatives to identify gaps and opportunities and co-design a regional implementation project. The next major step is the N4H Pacific Scoping Workshop, on 28–29 September 2026 in Nadi, Fiji.
The initiative is convened by UNEP, SPREP and SPC, with support from Nature4Health partners and the Government of Germany.